


The Songbird

by phantomthief_fee



Series: The Assistant [4]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: "Alice" captures Cordelia instead of Sammy, An AU of an AU, The Assistant Bad End
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 04:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13205511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: Instead of an Acolyte, the studio now has a songbird. A follower for Alice to use as she pleases.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Inky Sketches](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11912388) by [Gears112](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gears112/pseuds/Gears112). 



Based on [this](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11912388/chapters/30091578) chapter @Gears112 wrote. 

Also, here's the [Songbird](http://queenofcats17.tumblr.com/post/169100828135/so-gears112-on-ao3-wrote-a-story-where-cordelia). 

* * *

 

 

Cordelia owed Alice her life. Alice had told her she’d found Cordelia fleeing from the Prophet on the upper levels. Alice had taken her in, made her perfect. Well, as close to perfect as Alice had been able to manage. Cordelia still had a wonky arm and leg, but otherwise, she looked halfway decent. Cordelia had done her best to model herself after Alice. After all, Alice had saved her. Alice took good care of her, keeping her safe from the Ink Demon, the Prophet, and all those awful creatures that roamed the halls. Girls have to stick together, that was what Alice had told her. Alice told her things about the way the studio had been before all this. About the other employees, what a normal day might have been like. And if Cordelia was good, Alice would tell her about Roy. Roy was Cordelia’s brother, although Cordelia couldn't remember a lot about him. She knew he’d been the best brother he possibly could have been.

“Tell me, what do you remember today?” Alice asked as they got rid of the Butcher Gang clone Alice had been experimenting on.

“Well...” Cordelia screwed up her face, giving the clone a good kick. “I remembered something about Miss Susie!”

“Oh really?” Alice had her back to Cordelia, but the younger woman could have sworn Alice had flinched at the name.

“She was really nice.” Cordelia continued. “When I first met her, she sang a lullaby with me to help calm me down. She was the best!”

“Yes. She was.” Alice nodded. “And yet, she was betrayed by everyone who ever loved her.”

“I never betrayed her,” Cordelia said. “At least, I don’t think I did.”

“And that’s why I trust you.” Alice turned and patted Cordelia’s head. “You never abandoned her in her hour of need. Not like the others. Not like _Sammy_ .” Her face twisted in disgust. “He said he loved her, but he took up with that _Allison_.”

“Was Allison not a good person?” Cordelia asked. She didn’t remember anything about Allison save a vague image of a small, slight dark-haired woman.

“She was a conniving witch. She stole everything from Susie!” Alice snarled, then reeled back holding her head. “I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.” She whimpered in a smaller voice. Cordelia quickly ran to Alice’s side, patting her back. Alice had two conflicting voices that Cordelia had to deal with. There was the deep sultry Alice, the one who had taken Cordelia in and protected her, and the high pitched childlike Alice. The childlike Alice was always sad. She was always crying when she came out. Sultry Alice didn’t like Child Alice, although Cordelia didn’t know why. Cordelia did her best to make sure both Alice’s were happy when they came out. After a few minutes of Child Alice crying, Sultry Alice took control once more.

“How troublesome.” Alice wrinkled her nose. All of a sudden, there was the sound of footsteps.

“I think someone’s here.” Cordelia ran to Alice’s cameras, looking at all the monitors. There, entering the toy room, was a man. He held a pipe and was covered in ink, and he looked so so familiar.

“Henry.” Alice stormed up to the monitors. “What is _he_ doing here?”

“Henry?” Cordelia frowned. “He was...Joey’s partner, wasn’t he?”

“He was the only person who could control Joey and he left us.” Alice’s hands were shaking. “He left all of us to Joey’s mercy!” Immediately, Cordelia felt anger beginning to build in her chest. Henry had left all of them. He’d let Joey do this to them. She couldn’t see her brother because of him.

“What do you want to do to him, my angel?” Cordelia asked, looking hopefully at Alice. Alice thought for a moment before a slow smile spread across her face.

“Well...” She purred. “I think we could use him. Put him to work for us.”

“Make him suffer for what he’s done to us.” Cordelia agreed. The two women exited the room, ready to spring their plan upon Henry. Unbeknownst to them, Henry wasn’t the only new person in the studio. Above them, a young man sporting a good number of tattoos had entered the building, holding a letter that had been sent to him.

_Dear Joshua,_

_As you well know, my sister has gone missing. However, I have it on good authority that she might be at the old studio. I hope you wouldn’t mind going out to look for her. I can’t go myself, Due to my declining health._

_Thank you,_

_Roy_


	2. Origins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little acolyte wanders too far into the Angel's domain

He’d told her not to wander off. The decrepit halls of the studio were dangerous, especially in the Angel’s domain. Not to mention there was their Lord who prowled the halls. They may have worshipped him, but they were in no hurry to get on his bad side. But he’d given her a task to complete. Replace the cutouts broken by the Angel. They’d done this before without any trouble. But that had been together. Now they were alone, separate,  _vulnerable_. Cordelia hummed to herself as she put up a new cutout. Sammy had given her a very important job. He was counting on her! She had to do a good job so he’d be proud of her. She took a moment to look around, though. She didn’t often come down this far into the studio. She had vague memories of coming here before, when things had been well. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting on this floor, but she did remember delivering papers to people on the level.

“Boring.” She murmured to herself, wandering through the halls. She liked going to the Heavenly Toys level because Sammy let her play with the toys sometimes. He said she could take some of them back to the music department, and she often did. She found a tape in the back of the level. Pressing the play button, a nasal voice filled the hallway.

_“_ _I don’t get it. Everyone’s walking around here like grandma just died. Nothing but angry faces everywhere. These people gotta lighten up. I mean, hello! You make cartoons! Your job is to make people laugh. I’m tellin’ ya, if these people don’t start crackin’ a smile every now and then, I’m outta here.”_

“Wally.” She whispered, a face popping into her mind. She hadn’t thought about him in ages. Part of her hoped he was alright. Most of her knew he wasn’t. She sighed and put the tape down.

“What do we have here?” She froze. She knew that voice. The Angel…She’d lingered for too long! Slowly, Cordelia turned around. Alice stood before her, a malicious smile painted across her features. Cordelia had never actually come face to face with Alice before. Sammy had told her before to beware of the Angel and that was all she had ever wanted to know.

“It seems I’ve caught myself a little songbird.” Alice hummed, taking a step towards Cordelia. Cordelia instinctively took a step back.

“You don’t need to worry.” Alice cooed, cupping Cordelia’s face in her hands. “I won’t hurt you, my dear. You’ve always been such a good friend to me.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Cordelia stammered. Something about the way Alice spoke was so familiar. Cordelia just couldn’t put her finger on what it might be.

“My darling Cordelia,” Alice continued. “My little songbird.”

“What do you want?” Cordelia asked. She had her back to the wall. Nowhere to run.

“I want to make you perfect,” Alice said. The next thing Cordelia knew, there was a rag over her mouth and the world was going dark.

_Wandering is a terrible sin, my dear…_

She awoke to someone singing. She sat up, looking around blearily. She wasn’t sure where she was and her head really hurt. She had a lingering feeling that something bad had happened, but she didn’t know what it was. She had vague memories of someone carving into her flesh, forcing food down her throat. Quickly, she took stock of what she knew. Her name was Cordelia. She was…Who was she? She was here following someone. Someone important.

“Ah! You’re awake~” A woman came into view. “How do you feel, darling?” Cordelia’s first instinct was to recoil from the woman. Half of the other woman’s face was mutilated in a grotesque grimace. And that wasn’t even considering the halo embedded in the woman’s head.

“Yes, I know, I must look a fright.” The woman self-consciously lifted a hand, almost as if to cover that side of her face. “I didn’t scare you, did I?”

“I…A little.” Cordelia began to wring her hands. Or, at least, she tried. She had one fully formed arm, but the other was just a column of what appeared to be ink. She frowned at this.

“I tried to make you as perfect as I could, but my supplies are rather limited at the moment.” The woman said, quickly moving on. “You’re certainly more stable than you were before.”

“Oh, um, thank you.” Cordelia bobbed her head.

“Do you remember what you were before?”

“No. Um…Should I?”

The woman smiled, cupping Cordelia’s face in her hands. “No. It’s better that you don’t think about it, my little songbird. You’re safe with me now.”

“Thank you, Miss Susie.” The name slipped out on instinct as Cordelia reached up to touch the woman’s hand. She remembered the voice speaking to her. Fond memories appeared in her mind of singing with Susie Campbell. The woman recoiled as if she’d been burned, her face distorting into a mask of rage. However, it quickly vanished.

“My name is Alice.” She corrected the younger woman, smiling once more. “Alice Angel.”

“I’m sorry. Thank you, Miss Alice.” Cordelia bobbed her head in a respectful nod.

“That’s better.” Alice approached once more, sweeping Cordelia up in her arms. “Oh, how I’ve missed you.”

“Did…Did we used to know each other?” Cordelia asked, looking curiously up at Alice.

“Not exactly,” Alice said. “But you were always such a kindhearted girl. The perfect companion for an angel.”

Cordelia couldn’t help but blush. “You’re too kind.”

“I’m only telling the truth, dear~” Alice tapped her nose. “Now, why don’t we get you in some more proper clothes? We have quite a lot of work to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was day 8 of BATIM Inktober, but I thought it would be good to include how Cordelia became the Songbird


	3. Rise And Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I got inspired to write some Songbird stuff in the main game. Because Songbird Cordelia is going to have some thoughts about Alice's plans, especially in Chapter 4

Cordelia felt very little sympathy towards the Butcher Gang members. They were mindless creatures who lived only to fight and kill. There was no trace of sentience left in them. Not like the Lost Ones or the Searchers, although the sentience of the Searchers was debatable. Still…Cordelia tried to be nice to them when she encountered them on her errands. The Butcher Gang members were different, though. She felt no pity when she cut them down to harvest them for their parts. It wasn’t like they could comprehend their situation. She was even humming a little tune as Alice electrocuted the Piper they’d caught. She’d found some sheet music during her exploration and Alice had promised her she could sing it once they’d dealt with Henry. Cordelia knew she and Susie used to sing together, once upon a time. The memories that surfaced were fond ones. They didn’t always sing the songs all the way through, often devolving into giggling. Maybe singing would make Alice happy. Alice had been in such a bad mood lately. She heard footsteps and looked to the glass partition. Henry was…older than she’d thought he’d be. The man in her memories had been younger, the only wrinkles on his face being the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. But this man…He looked old and tired. He had a pipe clutched to his chest and his clothes and hair were spattered with ink.

“Hm. Now we come to the question...” Alice said, not really looking at Henry. “Do I kill you? Do I tear you apart to my heart’s delight? The choices of the beautiful are unbearable. How’s a girl to choose?” Henry’s gaze slid off of Alice to look at Cordelia. Once he laid eyes on her, his eyes widened.

“Cordelia?” He asked, voice quiet. “W-What-? Is this where you’ve been? Roy and Joshua have been worried sick about you.”

“You know my brother?” Cordelia took a step towards the glass. She recognized the second name he’d mentioned, but not enough to ask about it.

“Of course. We’ve all be looking for you.” Henry said. “What’s she done to you?” Cordelia was almost ready to put a hand to the glass, but Alice’s voice caused her to scramble back.

“Do not address my songbird so freely!” She snapped. “You should consider yourself lucky we’re even allowing you to be in our presence!” She slammed her hands on the podium before her.

“Do you see that little freak?!” She hissed, pointing to the bound Butcher Gang member. “That’s what I do to things when they upset me!” Henry opened his mouth as if he wanted to argue, then closed it. His shoulders slumped.

“What do you want me to do?” He asked. Cordelia frowned. This couldn’t be right. This defeated old man couldn’t be the traitor Alice had built up so much.

“That’s a good boy.” Alice sneered. “Return to the lift. I’ll give you instructions from there.” Henry turned and left the sanctuary, leaving Cordelia staring after him. Once Alice had given Henry his task, she took Cordelia in her arms, stroking her hair.

“I’m so sorry, my dear.” She cooed. “You must have been so afraid.”

“I’m alright,” Cordelia said quietly, resting her head on Alice’s chest. “But…That man…He can’t be the traitor.”

“Why do you say that?” Alice asked, more curious than anything else.

“He’s just so…sad and old.” Cordelia frowned. “He seems defeated. He can’t be the one who ruined our lives.”

“He may appear harmless, but you can’t let that fool you.” Alice pulled back a bit, her expression serious. “He’s a selfish man. He knew what Joey was like, knew what would likely happen if he left, and yet he left anyway. He abandoned us to Joey’s whims and he must be punished. He’s the reason you can’t go back to your brother.” Cordelia’s gaze fell to the floor, to her mismatched legs.

“I understand.” She nodded.

“That’s my girl,” Alice said, patting Cordelia’s head. “Now, be a dear and dispose of this one, won’t you?” She gestured to the tied-up Piper. Cordelia nodded, untying the creature and dragging it out of the room along with the ax Alice had given her. Once she was out of Alice’s sanctuary, she cut out the Piper’s heart and kicked the body off into the chasm below. When she returned with the heart, Alice was giving Henry a task. He was to collect gears for her machine. She waited until Alice had finished giving the task before presenting the heart to her.

“Thank you, my dear.” Alice kissed her head. “You’re such a diligent little songbird.”

“Thank you, my angel.” Cordelia dipped down in a mock curtsey. Alice giggled before turning her attention back to the monitors she’d set up. They were from Joey’s time controlling the studio, installed so that he could watch everyone all the time. At least, that was what Alice said.

“Oh! It’s a Boris!” Cordelia pointed to the figure in the elevator next to Henry. She always loved when she got to interact with a Boris. Alice was kind enough to send her out of the room when she harvested a Boris’ organs.

“Isn’t it magnificent?” Alice sighed, resting her head in one hand. “It’s the most perfect Boris I’ve ever seen. I want it. I need it.” Her voice got a bit scary on the last sentence, causing Cordelia to flinch.

“Are we going to…take it?” She asked quietly.

“Yes, yes we are.” Alice hummed, giddy at the thought. “We’re going to give Henry a little present~”

“A…present?” Cordelia tilted her head to the side. “What kind of present?”

“I’m sure you’d rather not know, darling.” Alice waved a hand dismissively. “You’re very sensitive. My plans wouldn’t agree with you.”

“Oh. Okay.” Cordelia knew she was probably right. Alice’s plans involving the Boris’ always made her rather upset. Unlike the Butcher Gang members, the Boris’ seemed to have some semblance of sentience. They had thoughts, feelings. It didn’t feel right to hurt them. But Alice had plans she needed to execute. She had been here longer than Cordelia had. She’d raised Cordelia from the ink, given her a mostly stable form, protected her. Who was she to question Alice? So Cordelia busied herself with looking over the sheet music and putting away the materials Henry brought until the time came for them to steal Boris away. Cordelia tried not to think about how defeated and tired Henry seemed, how his shoulders slumped and he seemed to drag his feet as he trudged through the trials Alice set for him. He was a traitor. Alice had said so.

Henry’s last task had been to fetch some ink hearts from Level 14, where Norman resided. Cordelia didn’t remember too much about Norman, but she knew he’d been a good man. She hoped Henry had put him out of his misery for the moment, even though they’d probably need him for their coming plan. Henry deposited the hearts in the box and went back to the elevator where Boris waited.

“Have you ever wondered what Heaven is like?” Alice asked as the doors closed on Henry. Her voice was soft and sweet, like the voice Cordelia remembered Susie having. “I like to dream that it’s quite beautiful. A soft valley of green grass, blanketed by a warm sun. I don’t think I’ll ever get to see it. Are you ready to ascend, my little errand boys? The heavens are waiting.” For a moment, she started to sob. Cordelia took a step toward her, ready to comfort her, before Alice’s sobs turned to manic laughter. She slammed the elevator controls, causing the elevator to plummet downward.

“Did you really think I’d let you steal from me?! Did you really think I’d just let you go?!” Alice roared, leaning into the PA microphone. “No, Henry! I know who you are! And I know why you’re here! And you will not stop what needs to be done!” Cordelia flinched back, instinctively covering her ears.

“Now come down and bring me back my Boris!” Alice kept screaming. “It’s the most perfect Boris I’ve ever seen and I want it! I need it. I need its insides so I can be beautiful again! Don’t you understand? Don’t you get it?! Give him to me! Or better yet, I’ll take him! Once...you’re....dead!” The sound of the elevator crashing into the ground echoed throughout the studio.

“Now, let’s go get our Boris.” Alice clapped her hands together. Cordelia followed her down to Level S, where they found the wreckage of the elevator, as well as the Boris they were searching for. It seemed to be trying to revive a puddle of ink. Where was Henry? Shouldn’t he have been there too? But she really didn’t have time to dwell on that. Alice snatched up Boris and began walking brusquely towards her lab. Cordelia glanced back at the broken elevator before following her.


	4. Colossal Wonders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cordelia isn't sure she trusts Alice anymore.

Cordelia was sobbing by herself, head in her hands. It wasn’t right. None of it was right. Alice had told her not to watch as she worked on Boris, but Cordelia’s curiosity had gotten the better of her. She’d wanted to see just what Alice had been planning on doing to the wolf. She’d regretted it almost immediately. The Boris had been laid out on a slab, chest ripped open and its organs set out on a table. It eyes had formed x’s, so it should have been dead, but it was whimpering and writhing against his restraints. Its cried sounded so human. It was in _pain_. Immediately, memories surfaced of a dark-skinned man strapped to slab, screaming and crying out as he struggled. There were wires attached to his body, a film reel in his shoulder. She could hear herself screaming in the memory. Cordelia stumbled back, her intact hand flying to her mouth. Alice looked up from her array of instruments. There was no shame or regret in her features as she looked at Cordelia, only the patronizing look of a parent whose child had disobeyed their instructions.

“Dear, I told you not to look.” She said. Cordelia immediately ran away, finding a quiet corner in which to cry. Eventually, Alice came and found her, wrapping her in her embrace.

“I wanted to spare you from seeing that, darling.” She said as she stroked Cordelia’s hair. “You’re too kind for this studio. But sometimes, sacrifices must be made.” Cordelia said nothing, just sobbing into Alice’s chest. After a little while, they both separated so that Alice could take up her position to taunt Henry.

“But he wasn’t there when we went to get the Boris,” Cordelia said as Alice began to walk away. “Where would he have gone?”

“He’s here, don’t you worry.” Alice said with a cryptic smile. “And I know he’s going to want to find his Boris.” Then she was gone. Cordelia hesitated, lingering where she was before going to rest in Alice’s lab for a little while. It was then that she came face to face with the monstrosity that Alice had created. The Boris stood in the middle of the lab, a hulking monster of ink and machinery. Cordelia let out a small squeak of terror, stumbling back. Again, the image of the man appeared to her, but she quickly pushed it away. The Boris turned to look at her, tilting its head curiously.

“H-Hello.” Cordelia waved shakily. The Boris grew closer, sniffing her as if to make sure she was a friend. She flinched, but stood her ground. Once it was satisfied, it lumbered back to where it had been standing before, resuming its position. Cordelia inched past it to lay down on the cot in the corner. She turned her back to the Boris, trying to will herself to sleep. But try as she might, she couldn’t. She rolled back over, watching the Boris.

“I’m sorry she did this to you.” She said after a moment. “You must have been someone, once.” The Boris said nothing. She could have sworn she heard a small whimper escape his muzzle, though. Tentatively, Cordelia got up and made her way over to the Boris. It looked over, tilting its head to the side again.

“You…You didn’t deserve this.” She awkwardly wrapped her arms around it, patting it with her intact hand. It stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into her touch. There was still something trapped inside its mind, she could tell. She started to sniffle against Boris’ arm.

“I’m sorry.” She said again, hunching over. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.” The Boris let her cry against it until she was satisfied and let it go.

“Thanks.” She mumbled, wiping her inky tears away. The Boris gave her an imperceptible nod, returning to its standing state. Cordelia smiled softly. She hadn’t cried on a lot of people at the studio, but the ones she had cried on had been really good friends to her. Maybe…Maybe this Boris was someone she knew. This thought made her sick to her stomach. She didn’t know why this specific instance made her so upset. Every inky creature she encountered had been human once. Even _she’d_ been human. But knowing that something that had suffered so much under the hands of someone she trusted had been a human being, it chilled her to her very soul. She stepped away. It…No… _He_ had been made a monster and she’d just sat by and watched. She quickly left the lab. She had to find Alice. She had to know. She sought out Alice, who was watching Henry’s progress through a series of monitors.

“Alice…Are we good people?” Cordelia asked quietly. Alice paused what she’d been doing, turning around to walk over to and cup Cordelia’s face in her hands.

“What makes you ask that, my little songbird?” She cooed.

“What we did to Boris…” Cordelia avoided looking Alice in the eye. “It…He was crying out. He was in pain. It…It didn’t seem right.” She needed to know if the woman she’d pledged her life to was truly a good person or not.

“It’s nothing but a mindless creature, my dear,” Alice assured her. “It’s not like us. It doesn’t know who it is. Besides, this was necessary in order to torture Henry.” ‘Not like us.’ Alice had said that before when referring to the Searchers, the Butcher Gang members, the Lost Ones…Hell, she even used it when referring to Sammy. It was them vs Alice and Cordelia, at least the way Alice told it.

“He can feel pain. He has sentience.” Cordelia said. “And we…We turned him into a monster.” There was no use in distancing herself from what had been done.

“It was what needed to be done.” Alice’s voice was firm, like a warning. “Sacrifices have to be made, Cordelia. We can’t save everyone.” Cordelia flinched. Alice never called her by her name. It was always some kind of pet name or ‘songbird’. She felt very much like a child who’d gotten in trouble with her parent.

“But…Doesn’t it seem wrong?” Cordelia looked up at her. “We shouldn’t have to hurt others.” Alice’s expression softened.

“My sweet,” She sighed, stroking Cordelia’s hair. “I’ve tried to shelter you from the horror of this place. I hoped I could preserve your innocence that way. But I see I’ve only succeeded in making you foolish and naïve.”

“I’m not foolish!” Cordelia insisted, shaking her head.

“Do you really think we could survive if we didn’t hurt the others?” Alice asked, moving her hands to Cordelia’s shoulders. “The Searchers are mindless, violent, just as the Butcher Gang are. They seek to destroy us so they can consume our hearts.”

“W-Well, I knew that, but-”

“The Lost Ones are sycophantic worshippers of the Demon.” Alice continued, as though Cordelia hadn’t even spoken. “If we went anywhere near them, you can be sure they wouldn’t hesitate to try and destroy us. Nothing here is innocent.”

“But the Borises are!” Cordelia said. “They never hurt anyone!”

“That doesn’t mean they can’t.” Alice’s expression quickly turned to one of anger. “Don’t you understand that I’m trying to protect you?!” She slammed a fist down on the table beside her. “This place destroys everything good and pure! You’re all I have left!” For a moment, her voice went high again, sounding so much like Susie’s. Cordelia flinched back, tears welling up in her eyes.

Alice sighed again, turning away. “Go back to the lab. Get some rest. I’ll come to get you when Henry’s dead.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cordelia squeaked before running away. She didn’t go back to the lab, though. She couldn’t bear to look at the twisted Boris again. So, she hid in a deeper part of the studio, crying to herself. She’d never been this deep into the studio before, but her fear was outweighed by her desire to get away from Alice. It was dark and cold and she was miserable. Everything she’d believed had been a lie. She wasn’t a good person. Alice wasn’t a good person.

“We’re as bad as Joey.” She whispered. She didn’t think often about Joey. Alice talked about him a lot, and she had vague memories of someone else ranting about him, but Cordelia herself didn’t about Joey too much. He was some unseen evil who haunted her past, not a threat to her present. The monsters in the studio were very real, unlike the phantom of Joey Drew. Suddenly, she heard footsteps. Cordelia looked up abruptly.

“W-Who’s there?” She got to her feet, trying to disguise her shaking voice.

“Cordelia?” A woman’s voice came from the darkness. Cordelia frowned. That voice sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before?

“You can’t just go up to her!” Another gruffer voice hissed, loud enough for Cordelia to hear. But the woman didn’t seem to listen, as a shape appeared from the darkness. For a moment, Cordelia was taken aback. The woman looked just like Alice. But…No. She was different. This angel’s face was undamaged, and her general appearance was more disheveled. She looked like a survivor. At her side was a sword, something Alice would never be caught dead with.

“Cordelia?” The woman approached, smiling wearily. “It’s so good to see you’re alright.”

“Who…Who are you?” Cordelia took a step back.

“You tell her your name and she’ll freak out.” Another figure stepped out of the darkness, a Boris with a mechanical arm. Cordelia had never heard a Boris talk before.

“Shut up, Tom.” The woman said, giving the Boris an irritated look before turning back to Cordelia. “I’m Allison, Allison Pendle. We were friends, remember?”

“Friends?” She recognized that name. “But…But Alice says you’re a traitor. You took her role.”

“ _Joey_ replaced her,” Allison said. “I didn’t have any say in it. I didn’t want to hurt Susie. I wanted to be friends with her. But Joey poisoned her mind, turning her against everyone.”

“I…” Cordelia hesitated. Memories were resurfacing now, memories that confirmed Allison’s story. She remembered Allison. Allison had been kind, soft-spoken. Allison had been right. Susie had been rejected all attempts by Allison to rectify the situation. Cordelia’s breath caught in her throat.

“I’m sorry.” Cordelia started to cry, burying her face in her hands. “I’m s-so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Allison wrapped her in her arms.

“Alli, we need to get going.” The Boris, Tom, said.

“Just give me a minute.”

“Alli,” Tom repeated, with more force this time. Allison sighed exasperatedly, letting Cordelia go.

“Alright, alright.” She said. “But we’re taking her with us.” Tom rolled his eyes, muttering something about her being too soft.

Allison turned back to Cordelia, smiling gently. “Everything’s going to be alright. You’ll be safe with us.”

Cordelia nodded slowly, managing a small smile herself. She followed behind Allison, with Tom at her back. They were headed back towards the warehouse area.

“I-It’s dangerous there.” Cordelia tugged on Allison’s arm.

“We know.” Allison gave her a gentle smile.

“No, you don’t understand!” Cordelia shook her head. “S-She made a monster! She took a Boris and she…She twisted him!” She started to cry again.

“Sounds like her,” Tom muttered.

“Tom!” Allison snapped, gathering Cordelia in her arms.

“What? Tell me I’m wrong.” Tom said, although there was no malice in his voice. “There’s no more Susie Campbell. Just a monster.”

“He’s right.” Cordelia whispered. For a moment, there was silence. This was quickly broken by a scream. Alice’s scream. Immediately, Allison and Tom sprung into action, sprinting off towards the scream. Cordelia ran after them, her heart beginning to pound. Why was Alice screaming? What was going on? She burst into the main room of the haunted house, only to discover Allison running Alice through with a sword. Allison withdrew her sword, letting Alice fall to the ground. Henry stood in the middle of the room, looking tired and haggard. There was no sign of the monstrous Boris Alice had created, which probably meant he’d been killed. Cordelia stood there for a moment, unsure how to process what she’d just seen.

“What are we going to do now?” She finally asked. No one gave her an answer. No one could.


End file.
